This new poinsettia cultivar, `Late Blooming Freedom`, originated as a natural late flowering sport of poinsettia `490` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,825) in my greenhouse in Encinitas, Calif. The new plant was observed as unique from among several thousand plants propagated from poinsettia `490` taken from a series of tip cuttings of the mature plant made over a period of several months beginning in March. It was selected because of its dark red flower bracts, dark green foliage, naturally late flowering, and self branching characteristics, traits which distinguish it from other poinsettia cultivars, and seem to make it a desirable plant for commercial greenhouse production. Under the same cultural and environmental conditions there were distinct differences between poinsettia `Late Blooming Freedom` and poinsettia `490`. The plant height of `Late Blooming Freedom` was taller. Its flower bracts at "full maturity" were smaller, more erect and more puckered than `490`. The bract color of `Late Blooming Freedom` is dark red, and has more bluish tones. The color is not as bright as `490`. The greatest difference was that `Late Blooming Freedom` flowered more than 2 weeks later than `490`. This offers certain economic advantages in that `Late Blooming Freedom` was at optimum maturity for the late poinsettia market. After selection, `Late Blooming Freedom` was vegetatively reproduced from stem cuttings for test purposes in Encinitas, Calif. Clones of the new sport were taken for 3-5 generations from tip cuttings of the mature plant. The distinctive characteristics of Late Blooming Freedom held true from generation to generation. The characteristics appeared to be genetically stable and not due to chemical treatment nor to microbial or viral infection of the plants.